DESCRIPTION: Florence and Leon have never met. Florence is a swimming instructor. She has a small problem with her lungs: it’s as if she’s breathing through a straw. Leon is an insurance salesman. He has a small problem with his eyes: it’s as if he’s seeing the world through a straw. One day Florence and Leon bump into each other, literally, and this mishap turns their lives upside down. Over slushy drinks with proper straws, Florence and Leon find out how their differences make them alike.

MEET THE AUTHOR: Award-winning Québécois author Simon Boulerice writes principally for the theater but has also published novels for adults and children as well as poetry collections. Florence & Léon (QuébecAmérique) was nominated for the 2016 Governor General’s Award for Children’s Illustration (French). Simon still does the splits at least once a day.

What a delightful and intimate story of two very different people who meet unexpectedly with a “bump”. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that this book was originally written in French and want to read it in that language as well. The English translation was well done.